They dressed like they were off duty—jeans and t-shirts—which bugged him in a weird way. Quinn was out there, and he wasn’t even dressed to react quickly.
“She’ll be fine.” Max rubbed at the scar on his wrist hidden under the leather band he always wore. Clearly, he didn’t believe that any more than Cain did.
Cain grunted and waited for the guys to finish out the hand. He ignored the trickle of sweat running down his back. The air-conditioner was a piece of junk even Shaw couldn’t fix without new parts. The heat and humidity of the summer night blew in through the open window, along with the noises of the city. The breeze did little to alleviate the smell of sweat and humanity permeating the room.
Didn’t take long before Max scooped up the pot. Sawyer shuffled the cards and dealt. Cain checked his. Trash. He waited for the flop. Still trash. Sure he could bluff it out, in fact, he’d usually try that, but instead he folded. And checked his phone again.
“I’ve never seen you like this, man.” Sawyer’s gaze remained on his cards.
Tipping his chair back, Cain ran his hand over his beard and didn’t comment.
“You like her.” Sawyer’s uncanny powers of observation had nothing to do with his telepathy, but Cain often thought it might as well have.
Cain sat forward, the legs of his chair hitting the carpeted floor with a muffled thud. “She’s got guts. I’ll say that for her.” No way was he going to voice his real opinion. His team needed him to lead, not turn into a sappy, distracted ass.
Max glanced up from his cards and pinned Cain with a dark, unwavering gaze. “This is different.”
Max was right. The level of his interest in Quinn scared the hell out of Cain. “Remember our first mission?”
Shaw laid down the turn card. “In Alaska? That cave system holding all the sups?”
“Yeah.”
Sawyer frowned over the cards in his hand. “You think this is them? We took care of them.”
“All of them,” Max added, a hard light in his eyes.
“No. This is not them. But she was there.”
All three of his men jerked their heads up to stare at him.
“No way,” Sawyer said.
“Quinn was one of the sups they held prisoner?” Shaw asked.
Cain nodded an affirmative. Not the youngest being held, but close. Cain glanced down and shock pinged through him at the sight of his own clenched his fists. With a shake, he forced his hands to relax under the table where the others couldn’t see.
“How’d you find out?” Max asked.
“She had a nightmare. I touched her, saw everything.”
Max leaned back, studying Cain’s expression. “Is she the one?”
“Yeah.” After everything had settled in Alaska, Cain had tried to find her, needing to know she was okay. Max had helped, but Delilah had several teams there that day, and another group had taken Quinn to safety.
Max’s eyebrows shot up. “I’ll be damned.”
Exactly.
“So let me get this straight…” Sawyer leaned his elbows on his knees. “She set herself up to be taken into the same situation we rescued her from?”
“Yes.”
“Guts doesn’t begin to cover it,” Sawyer muttered.
Also right.
“How’d you let her go, man?” Shaw asked, only to be cuffed over the head by his brother. “Ow! What was that for?” He threw his cards at his brother.
“You’re about as sensitive as a knife to the gut.” Sawyer tipped his chin at Cain.
Shaw’s scowl cleared. “Oh. You have a thing for Quinn. I get it.”
Before Sawyer could whack his brother in the head again, Cain’s phone signaled a message.
—They’ve pickedcme up. I’m unharmed. —
A sensation akin to panic twisted up his insides.
—Send coordinates.—
—Don’t be mad.—
Not good.
—Send coordinates.—
—Not yet. I overheard something. They’ll take me to the islands soon.—
—When?—
—A day or two. I might not be able to get in touch. Something about a ship, which could limit communication options. But once I’m there, I’ll contact you, and you can come get me.—
“Damn,” he muttered. This woman was going to put him into an early grave from stress alone. Or put more grey in his beard at the very least.
“What?” Max asked. All three men had dropped their cards, their focus fully on him.
He shook his head and kept typing on his phone.
—You promised. No heroics.—
—I’m not being a hero. I’m getting more info so we can stop more than the deal going down here.—
—No. What if you don’t wake up in time or can’t contact me from the islands. Too many risks.—
—I know you, Cain. If I give you my coordinates now, you’ll come get me before they put me on the ship. I’ll keep in touch as much as possible, so you know I’m okay. —
—No. Tell me where you are. Now.—
He waited, phone gripped tightly, but she didn’t respond. He never should have left her side. He should have let them take him too. Cain paused. As often happened, his mind cleared as a plan formed. He raised his gaze to his second-in-command. “Max?”
Max’s arms flexed as he crossed them. “You about to do something stupid?”
“I need your help. We need to get the demons to take me too.”
“Bad idea, boss,” Shaw mumbled. Sawyer said nothing, but his agreement with Shaw was stamped across the closed expression on his face.
Max studied him through narrowed eyes. “You say never separate the team.”
“She can keep us connected.”
“What if they take you to a different location. She won’t know.”
“Then you’ll have to come find me. I can’t leave her.”
Max’s jaw hardened, but he nodded. “Okay.”
Cain blew out a breath. “We need more help.” He dialed a number he’d memorized long ago. “Delilah?”
CHAPTER 8
Quinn stared out of the bars to her cell, down a long dark hallway with naked light bulbs hanging from a wire every ten feet, casting a dim light throughout the chamber. Her cell was one of three, each about the size of a closet, situated at the end, which meant she could see every new capture brought in. At least, those who posed no risk of escape. From what she could tell, another block of cells which neutralized physical abilities in various ways was located down a different hall.
Good thing they hadn’t stuck her in one of those, or she’d have no access to Cain and be up a creek without a paddle.
The accommodations here weren’t nearly as good as those in her previous hellhole in Alaska. There, at least, she’d had a bed and covers. Even some books. Here was just the cell. She sat or lay on the hard cement floor. They did feed her, but no utensils were provided, so she ate with her hands. Worst of all, she peed in a bucket in the corner. Thankfully, the building was air conditioned, keeping the summer heat at bay.